1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to firearms. Specifically, this invention is a new and improved hammer mechanism which maintains or increases the firing strike force of the hammer while including a mainspring which requires less strength than comparable factory-installed springs. The invention may be installed as a substitute for and improvement over prior art hammer mechanisms.
As is evident to a person with ordinary skill in the art, a variety of reasons exist to reduce the strength of the hammer mainspring in a firearm. For instance, in a double-action firearm, the hammer mainspring strength may be reduced in order to reduce the trigger force necessary to actuate the hammer and shoot a bullet out of the firearm. Reducing the necessary trigger force in turn decreases the chances of the user deviating from his line of aim and shooting an inaccurate shot. It is noted that such trigger force reduction takes place without alteration of the trigger return spring, which returns the trigger to its xe2x80x9cinitialxe2x80x9d position after firing.
However, the reduction of hammer mainspring strength may also create additional problems. For instance, if the strength of the hammer mainspring is reduced, then such spring may be unable to generate the strike force necessary to activate the primer of the cartridge.
It would thus be beneficial to the field of art to provide a new and improved hammer mechanism which reduces the trigger force of a double-action firearm while not compromising either the hammer strike force or the ability of the trigger return spring to bias the trigger back to its initial position.
It would also be beneficial to the field of art to provide a new and improved hammer mechanism which safely reduces the amount of force required to actuate the hammer and shoot a bullet out of a firearm.
It would also be beneficial to the field of art to provide a new and improved hammer mechanism which includes a hammer mainspring with less strength than comparable factory-installed mainsprings while not compromising the strike force of the hammer.
In general, firearms may be divided into handguns and rifles. Some rifles and most types of handguns utilize a hammer and trigger mechanism, and each can be categorized as a single-action firearm or a double-action firearm. Handgun types utilizing a hammer and trigger mechanism may be divided into pistols, revolvers, single-shot firearms, semi-automatic firearms, and fully-automatic firearms. Each type of handgun and each rifle utilizing a hammer and trigger mechanism contains different internal mechanisms governing its operation.
It would thus be beneficial to the field of art to provide a new and improved hammer mechanism which may be used by and installed in all firearms utilizing a hammer and trigger mechanism despite their differences in internal mechanisms and trigger forces. As will be briefly explained herein, the benefits of my invention for each firearm type differ depending on the firearm type.
2. Related Art
Different hammer mechanisms, some of which reduce the actuating trigger force of a firearm, are known to the prior art. Illustrative of such methods and mechanisms are U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,296 issued to Frisoli on May 17, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,358 issued to Eder on Apr. 11, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,141 issued to Sammons on Oct. 1, 1991.
The present invention is different than such methods and mechanisms in both its structure and its method of function and operation.
Accordingly, the objectives of this invention are to provide, inter alia, a new and improved hammer mechanism that:
includes a hammer mainspring with less strength than comparable factory-installed mainsprings while not compromising the strike force of the hammer;
reduces the trigger force of a double-action firearm while not compromising the strike force of the hammer;
reduces the trigger force of a double-action firearm while not compromising the ability of the trigger return spring to bias the trigger back to its initial position;
safely reduces the amount of force required to actuate the hammer and shoot a bullet out of a double-action firearm; and
may be used by and installed in all firearms utilizing a hammer and trigger mechanism despite their differences in internal mechanisms and trigger forces.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification hereinafter disclosed.
To achieve such improvements, my invention is a new and improved hammer mechanism which reduces the strength of the hammer mainspring without also reducing the hammer""s strike force. My invention comprises a link mechanism integrally assembled to the hammer of a firearm The link mechanism moves at a positive velocity relative to the hammer as the hammer itself moves from the xe2x80x9ccockedxe2x80x9d position to the striking position. Both the hammer and the link mechanism are biased into the striking position by the hammer mainspring with a section of the link mechanism protruding from the front surface of the hammer and impacting the firing element of the firearm or primer. The link mechanism thus impacts the firing element or primer at a velocity and force roughly equal to the aggregate velocities and forces of the hammer and the link mechanism. In the preferred embodiment, the link mechanism comprises a first and second cavities within the hammer, each cavity having a plunger slidingly disposed therein and each plunger biased within its corresponding cavity by a spring. As the hammer mainspring biases the hammer into the striking position, it also concurrently biases the two sets of plungers and springs within the cavities thereby enabling a section of one of the two plungers to protrude from the hammer front surface and impact the firing element or primer. The invention may be installed as a substitute for and improvement over prior art hammer mechanisms.